The 7 Most Common Beach Volleyball Injuries and What To Do About Them

It has been my great pleasure over the last 18 months to finally get round to learning how to play beach volley ball. I only live 2 minutes away from Yellowave! I have found true childlike joy in throwing myself about in the sand. Sometime I even make connection with the ball. In this time I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about a lot of injuries! Here’s my gift back to you. The finest physiotherapy knowledge on the common injuries and how you can treat / avoid them.

In this first section we talk about the conditions that we’ve seen most commonly and the clinic and on the court. In the second section: Yellowave: 8 Best Exercises For Beach Volleyball Injury Avoidance we talk about what you can do about it. Obviously the best thing to do is to come see us, but then we would say that. No 2 injuries are the same and neither are the biomechanics. We’ve seen shoulder problems with the underlying problem coming from the foot. Really! So the best bet is always to get the problem properly assessed and treated for the quickest, safest resolution and to minimise the risk or re-occurrence. Sales pitch over, here’s the FREE stuff!

1. Rotator Cuff Problems

If you don’t know what a rotator cuff is chances are you’ve never had a problem with them. They are 4 small intrinsic muscles within the shoulder. Their function is to affect small movements around the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. With the repeated movements of the shoulder in volleyball these can become the scapegoats that start hurting you particularly with a spike or any overhead shots.

2. Wrist Pain

Wrists take a pounding in beach volleyball. Fact. Even if you have perfect dig technique you’ve still got to push yourself back off the sand mid-rally. This will be compounded if you have what we like to call non-optimal movement patterns. Put simply this means the nerves that run through your wrist will already be at an increased level of sensitivity. Sounds a bit scary doesn’t it. But it’s quite normal and can usually be quickly improved. To find out how keep reading…

3. Beach Volleyball Elbow

Ok so not one out of the text book but it can be a real problem for many people. Symptoms mirror Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow. It’s very similar to the biomechanics of the wrist pain described above. It is rarely that you have genuinely just over used the muscle and tendon complex. We prefer to put it as your muscles / tendon has become tired due to non-optimal movement patterns. Hopefully this sounds less threatening, if a little long winded! Remove the underlying biomechanics and the tension on the nerve and muscle is eased and you can play for longer.

4. Damn Sore Forearms! – Median / Radial Nerve Irritation

Exactly the same as the last 2 conditions biomechanically but the pain causing structure lies somewhere between the wrist and elbow. This one I struggled with briefly in my first few games. Mostly from terrible technique. But it can affect the best of players especially if there is an increase in stress levels off the court which increases the sensitivity of the nerves in the whole body. The term “my nerves are frayed” to refer to heightened stress didn’t occur by accident!

The key thing is with this and the other conditions is not to worry about them too much. Avoid catastrophic thoughts like “I’ll never be able to play pain free again” or “Volleyball tonight is going to hurt so much.” The more you fear it the more it will hurt due to the increased nerve sensitivity caused by such and similar thoughts. Trust that it will be fine and it will be. If it isn’t, you know where we are.

5. Whiplash / Neck Problems

I can only liken my first few post volleyball games to waking up after a car crash. I put this down to a few reasons. I’m over 40 and pretending not to be. If there’s a ball to be dived for I’m going for it. My body was in no way adapted to the new sport.

Experienced players shouldn’t suffer from such extreme reactions as their bodies are well adapted to the dynamic nature of the sport. But the cumulative effect of hitting the sand can have an impact on the muscles in and around the neck. Interestingly this can affect nerve tension down the arms which can affect the conditions previously discussed. So even if you don’t think you have a tight neck it may be affecting your symptoms elsewhere.

6. Broken Digits

Yeah not much we can do with this one. Firstly you probably should have had better technique in the first place. Secondly any suspected breaks get down the docs and get it checked out. If you’ve had a break and it’s still causing you problems then we can help you when it’s healed. If it’s a ligament problem we may be able to fast track the healing and return time for you.

Most ligaments (except the cruciates in the knee) in the body are continuous with the surrounding musculature. By using this knowledge and optimising the musculature affecting the ligament we can often ease the pain quickly. This does however need proper assessment. No quick easy exercise for this one but just to let you know not to panic and there is hope of a quick return!

7. Knee Pain

Of course all of us perform our digs with technical perfection. I see it as a sign that I’m improving that my legs are completely shot after a game or lesson. A great functional exercise but if our bodies aren’t well adapted or we get a bit carried away playing lots of games then this over use of muscles can impact sensation around the knee. Don’t panic, it’s rarely the knee that’s the problem, it’s usually just the scapegoat.

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Alex talks about how our treatment fixed his long standing neck pain

Dr Rank gives a medical perspective on the effectiveness of our treatments

Personal Trainer Kirsty - Knee Pain Gone

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Carol - Migraines

I have experienced some pain in the back of my knee. I have been to see Jamie and have to compliment his professional knowledge. He has the great ability to explain complex issues. He gave me lots of advise on how to treat my pain with everyday movements. Apart from his expertise, I would like to point out that Jamie is a very approachable and friendly person. I would highly recommend him!

CC

I picked up an IT band knee injury while training for the Brighton marathon this year that prevented me running any more than 5-10k without serious pain. I’d all but given up hope of running the marathon after trying various things to fix it without success. I started seeing Jamie less than 6 weeks before the marathon and after about 3-4 session I was able to run a lot further with much less pain. By the day of the marathon, my knee felt almost completely better, and I ran the whole thing with no knee pain at all! I don’t claim to fully understand everything Jamie does, but it definitely works. Amazing stuff & highly recommended!

BK

I compete in a lot of endurance sports and high impact sports too. I have seen Jamie for a few years now and he is among the very best I have seen (and I’ve seen a few over the years!) Highly recommended.

NL

Meeting Jamie for the first time was a very enjoyable experience, he explained a whole new way of the strains I had been putting on my body through Marathon running, tennis and bad posture, Within 30 mins he was working away and my body started to feel 10 years younger. A completely new and invigorating approach to back and muscles problems that I had battled with over the years.

Jamie is extremely good at getting fast results and you back on track with your exercise routines and he even sets you homework

I would have no hesitation of recommending BST to any one

AB

Jamie knows what he’s doing, though don’t expect traditional physiotherapy. I visited with a calf tear recovery problem after a recommendation by a friend. I couldn’t run without damaging it over and over again. Jamie’s holistic approach had me running again within the month, and I’m still running, building up distance again. While he was at it he’s helped massively with problems with my ankle and shoulder, definitely seek him out if you’re having problems.

SM

This guy knows his onions. After several Ironmans and too many marathons I was looking for someone to activate underused muscle groups and to help me feel less creaky overall. After sessions with BST I felt great and left with a whole new understanding of the human body. Jamie shared a lot of new and interesting insights and gave me a series of treatment that really worked.

SC

As an ultrarunner I approached Jamie Webb with much trepidation, expecting the usual advice to stop running silly distances and I wouldn’t be complaining of injuries. Instead, I was met with complete acceptance of ‘what I do’ combined with consistent ‘work’ on the source of my injuries/complaints. I couldn’t recommend Brighton Sports Therapy highly enough. It has been a joy to finally run pain-free again. My running complaints have ranged from ankle injuries to IT-band trouble, lazy glutes, core and hip stresses and strains … ALL of which I can happily say are currently in the best condition they can be in. Will I stop running? No. But the holistic approach of Brighton Sports Therapy has allowed me to continue, improve and race pain-free. Thank you.

AH

A few months ago as I began to have problems with my right knee, and on some occasions was unable to put weight on it when going up steps or uphill, I asked on Facebook if anyone knew of any good physiotherapists in my area, and I was recommended Jamie Webb. I went along and was assessed, with all aspects of my health taken into account, Jamie diagnosed a muscle imbalance, and immediately began working on releasing muscles in many parts of my body, but strangely (not to him) this had the effect of strengthening the muscles around my knee. I have since completed a 100k non stop walk, plus have trekked round Iceland with no further problems to my knee (or any other part of my poor body). I assure you that if Jamie is given a body suffering in any way from the traumas of sport, he will have you diagnosed, and be working on the problem within the first 30 minutes of your appointment, and you WILL leave after the 1st hour already aware of improvement.

DP

I can honestly say that’s the best money I’ve ever spent! I’d been struggling with a football injury for months and Jamie made a massive improvement in the first session. I’m now able to go into tackles 100% knowing that my ankle will be fine. I no longer need any more treatment, that’s how good things are, but if I do get another injury I know exactly who I’ll be ringing!

AP

Disclaimer: The testimonials above are the opinion of a few of our clients. Results to treatment cannot be guaranteed. We can guarantee we’ll be doing everything we can get you back to your best ASAP.

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Conclusion

So that’s the most common injuries from beach volleyball we’ve seen at the clinic. Now you want to know what to do about them right? Obviously the best, safest and quickest option for a return to the court is to come in for an assessment by your caring sharing Sports Therapists and Physiotherapists at Brighton Sports Therapy. But for those who are hard up for cash or those who are interested in preventing all of the above here’s a link to the Yellowave: 8 Best Exercises For Beach Volleyball Injury Avoidance which includes the best stretch in the world!

If you have any kind of injury you’d like us to look at then please give us a call on 01273 921831 or email at info@BrightonSportsTherapy.co.uk. We’ll do everything we can so you can be diving around in the sand again as soon as possible.